Olympic construction finds imperial tombs

BEIJING, China - Work on a shooting range for the 2008 Beijing Olympics has been suspended after the discovery of imperial-era tombs on the site, newspapers and an antiquities official said Monday.

The tombs, found in mid-April, are believed to date back five to six centuries to the Ming dynasty, and may be those of eunuchs serving at the imperial court, the Beijing Morning Post said.

Beijing has been the site of imperial and other capitals for more than 1,000 years, and many major building projects unearth gravesites or relics. Most are removed or destroyed before experts can examine them.